From Carla McBee

August 8, 2012

It concerns me that our reputation in this county has become a county of greed. Rent has more than tripled. It was sad to hear and hard to comprehend when one of the oil-well employees said, "I paid $300 less in California than I do here in West Virginia."

There are people from our area trying to find places to rent, and the horrid prices are slapping them in face. We are a county of poverty but our grocery prices, our fuel prices, and now our rent has sky-rocketed.

Our wages are still below the national poverty level and we are trying to deal with the horrible sin called greed right in our home town.

Why is it that fuel prices are 15 to 20 cents higher in New Martinsville, than a travel time of 30 minutes north or south of us? For that matter just cross the river and get a better deal! Why is it that a guest in town, who has family, utility bills, college payments, medical bills, travel expenses, and so on in another town is expected to pay such prices?